5 Steps to Believe in Yourself

Many of us have ideas and things we want to do but lack the confidence and belief in ourselves to get it done. Here on the site, we've talked about learning to let go of fear and having a vision for your life, but sometimes that's not enough. Before any success or happiness can happen in your life, you have to believe in yourself and your vision. But why is it so hard for us to believe in ourselves? I believe it's a combination of fear and negative thoughts that hold us back from having the faith we need to be our highest self.

Over the past few weeks, the belief in myself has been tested, and I questioned; should I [really] be doing this? While I'm not one to give up, the feeling of defeat can sometimes push me towards thoughts of wanting to. We often compare ourselves to others and their work and fail to take the steps necessary to focus on our own. What I know to be true is that everything you want is on the other side of fear. I too have been one to let fear stop me from something I wanted to do, and once I stepped into the fear, I was able to let it go.

Related: Creating Your Life with Vision: A Conversation with Bevy Smith

Whether you're in the space to receive it or not, understand that everything you're afraid of is achievable — receive this and embrace it. And if you're still in the space of not believing in yourself, here are five steps and practices you can do daily to ensure you stay on track with your vision and believe in yourself.

Deal with your inner negative voice

We all have that little voice inside of us that tells us we cannot do something, take a moment to listen to that voice, and understand what it's saying. Whose voice is this? Chances are it's not your own, it's someone who told you; "you can't do this" or "you're not good enough for it." That inner, self-critical voice wasn't yours originally, so allow yourself to know that it's not your [TRUE] voice; and ask; "who was I before I let the opinion of others define me?"

Turn your weakness into a strength

Turning your weakness into a strength sounds impossible right? But it's not. Think, when you go on an interview the interviewer always asks; "what are your weaknesses?" Identify what your weakness are, and flip it into a strength that can be beneficial to you. Assuming there is nothing you can improve about yourself is a weakness, and can be detrimental to your growth and will breed self-doubt that manifests into fear.

Watch here as I break down why believing in yourself in so important. #pressplay

Create a powerful vision for yourself

A few years back I had no idea what this meant, and I clearly didn't have a vision for the life I wanted to live; this changed when I attended Bevy Smith's Life With Vision brunch and tapped into who I am — at my core. I believe this is the most important tool in believing in yourself and removing self-doubt. Think about what you want in life and envision you have it already. What does that look like? How can you achieve this? Now create a plan and action steps to achieve it. Self-belief doesn't come from just trying to convince yourself you can do something; it happens when you create a vision and do the work.

Prayer/Meditation

With the current climate of our world and all the things that are going on in our lives, this step is so important. But many people skip it because they aren't religious or the thought of praying or meditating fears them; prayer or meditation will keep you grounded and clear about your vision. Having a clear mind is so crucial to eliminating that inner negative voice, and creating a daily practice that gives you a moment of stillness will help free you of any thoughts that are keeping you from believing in yourself.

Do the work

With the internet and social media, we now live in an instant gratification world; this isn't changing anytime soon. We all want quick success, but that doesn't always last, but those who do the work and keep pushing towards their vision will have lasting success. When you're doing the work and focusing on your goals and vision, your belief will be tested, but as you start to see positive results, you will begin to believe in yourself more. So, don't wait for the right time to start or until you start to believe, start now — just do the work.

Having the life you want isn't easy, but it's achievable, and it begins with believing in yourself. Go after everything you want and know that you are good enough to receive it. Continue to Live Your Life in Style and always Be Inspired.